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Healthy apprehension amid reports of high-path avian flu in southern U.S.

The executive director of the Iowa Turkey Federation says a healthy apprehension could help producers guard against highly pathogenic avian influenza.

Gretta Irwin tells Brownfield biosecurity has always been a priority for growers, but the 2015 outbreak left valuable scars.

“To me, the best analogy is to think about if we’re around a fire and we get burned.  You knew that it was hot and would not be good to touch that flame.  But when things like this happen, that panic and fear builds back up into you.  You’ve always been careful (and) precautious of that flame; or the influenza virus in this case; so you’re just that much more tentative and nervous about it.”

She tells Brownfield there’s a heightened awareness as multiple cases of high-path AI have been reported on broiler farms in Tennessee and Alabama since the beginning of March.

“They don’t let anyone on the farm now, where maybe before they were letting a service rep come out and visit their farm and look at the health of the birds to get some new ideas.  They’re still going to have their veterinarians coming out, but they’re not going to allow other folks onto that farm.”

Brownfield interviewed Irwin at the Midwest Poultry Federation Convention in St. Paul last week.

 

 

 

 

 

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